FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 2020
County Recommends 10-day Quarantine After Potential Exposure
Santa Clara County, CA Appointment-based and drop-in COVID-19 testing opportunities continue next week, and testing is highly recommended for anyone who may have been at risk of COVID-19 exposure.
In addition to the seven-day Santa Clara County Fairgrounds site and the standing drop-in sites in San Jose and Gilroy, rotating city sites next week will be in Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell and Palo Alto. There will also be additional drop-in opportunities at San Ysidro Park in Gilroy and the Public Health Story Road Hub in East San Jose.
Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Officer for the County of Santa Clara, reiterates that anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for 10-days. If they experience symptoms, they should get tested right away. Those potentially exposed to COVID-19 who do not have symptoms should get tested seven days after exposure and continue to quarantine for a total of 10 days.
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel through the vaccinations that have begun,” said Fenstersheib. “But that in no way means we can let our guard down. The positivity rate is tenfold what it was just two months ago – COVID-19 is more prevalent in the community than ever before. Anyone who believes they may have been exposed should quarantine and get tested.”
The County would like to remind people that hospital emergency departments are not the appropriate venue for a COVID-19 test when symptoms are not present and there is no emergency medical issue. Emergency Departments are for people who need emergency care and are currently very busy caring for patients with urgent medical needs.
Next week, appointment-only County COVID-19 testing will be conducted at sites in Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell and Palo Alto. Appointments can be made starting seven days in advance of the testing date until all slots are reserved at www.sccfreetest.org. Appointment-based testing is also available in San José at the Fairgrounds, with appointments now available five days in advance. Testing is free at all these sites. Appointments are essential for reserving a testing slot.
APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES —Make an appointment by visiting www.sccfreetest.org and clicking on “Schedule an Appointment Today”
Text message results are available at appointment-based County of Santa Clara testing facilities and an influenza test is included.
San José
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (across from the blue arch) - Drive-through, bike, and walk-up appointments
Across the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111
Appointment hours: Monday, Jan. 4, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 9-10, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Los Altos Hills
Los Altos Hills Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Blvd., Los Altos Hills, 94022
By appointment only for Monday, Jan. 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mountain View
Mountain View Community Center, 201 Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View, 94040
By appointment only for Tuesday, Jan. 5, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cupertino
Cupertino Senior Center, 21251 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, 95014
By appointment only for Wednesday, Jan. 6, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Campbell
Orchard City Banquet Hall (in the Campbell Community Center), 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 95008
By appointment only for Thursday, Jan. 7, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Palo Alto
Mitchell Park – El Palo Alto Room, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, 94303
By appointment only for Friday, Jan. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms.
San José
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San José, 95127
Tuesday to Friday, Jan. 5 – Jan. 8, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Public Health Story Road Hub, 1775 Story Rd., San José, 95122
Friday, Jan. 8, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Monday to Friday, Jan. 4 – Jan. 8, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
San Ysidro Park, 7700 Murray Ave., Gilroy, 95020
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1 to 5 p.m.
In order to facilitate the testing process and reduce waiting times, staff may distribute wristbands that will correspond to specific testing time windows. When patients receive a wristband, they may be asked to return during their assigned testing window. Once all wristbands have been handed out, the testing site can no longer take additional patients for the day.
The County test sites provide COVID-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and no doctor’s note is needed. At some County test sites, people with insurance may be asked to provide their insurance information, so that payment from the insurance company can be collected. However, patients won’t be billed for any co-pay, deductible, or any other cost for testing. Those without health insurance or those who do not provide insurance information can still get a test at those sites.
For people without COVID-19 symptoms, the County currently offers indoor and drive-through sites. People with symptoms are directed to drive-through sites to reduce the chance of getting others sick.
For those with healthcare coverage, systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation and others are required by County order to offer free testing to symptomatic persons, persons who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and all “essential workers.” Examples of “essential workers” include teachers, healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and persons who work in agriculture or food manufacturing.
For more information on testing rights, see our Frequently Asked Questions page. The County also collects and publishes data on testing by large healthcare systems: https://covid19.sccgov.org/covid-19-testing-dashboards#hstesting.
All test sites are mapped on the County’s website at www.sccfreetest.org. The site is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Tagalog. Information is also available by calling 2-1-1.
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