Brownell Happenings

In response to an October 16 party involving about 200 students from Christopher High School and Gilroy High School, where at least one attendee has tested positive for COVID-19, the County of Santa Clara and the Gilroy Unified School District are urging all students age 14-18 in the district to get tested on Saturday, October 24.

A special COVID-19 testing center is being set up on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) at 9300 Wren Ave. in Gilroy. No advance appointment is required. The goal is to test high school students in the district and then work with their families if an individual has a positive result.

In response to the situation, the school district has already closed athletic conditioning activities, as many who attended the party are involved in school athletics.

Free testing is also available at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A location (across from the blue arch) at 344 Tully Rd. in San José from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. This drive-up location requires an appointment that can be made by visiting www.sccfreetest.org and clicking on “Schedule an Appointment Today”.

For those unable to test on Saturday, the 9300 Wren Ave. location is open Tuesday-Friday, October 27-30, from 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and no appointments are necessary. Additional appointment-based locations for next week can be found at www.sccfreetest.org. Those with health insurance can also contact their healthcare provider.

Increased testing is particularly important in this situation because rates of infection and positivity rates in Gilroy are higher than other parts of the County.