As concerns about the skyrocketing Omicron variant infections continue, two other major vendors have joined the list of manufacturers choosing to move from a physical presence at CES 2022 to a virtual presence.
The latest two to give up their physical presence plan are chipmaker AMD and smartphone maker OnePlus. They join a list of big tech companies that have also announced their withdrawal.
Some of the major companies that have pulled out so far include Amazon, AMD, AT&T, GM, Google, iHeartRadio, Intel, Lenovo, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia, OnePlus, Pinterest, Procter & Gamble, T-Mobile (which remains a sponsor of the show, however), TikTok, Twitter and Waymo, as well as several other smaller companies.
It should be noted that other important players are hanging on to their plans for physical presence, at least for now. The show’s featured exhibitors page always boasts the presence of IBM, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Verizon, WarnerMedia and many more. However, as cancellations continue to increase during the preparatory period, it is entirely possible that there will be a cascading effect on other vendors, especially if they start to be criticized for their lack of caution for the safety of their staff at CES.
So far, the event organizers have remained firm in their intention to keep the show going, despite the absence of many of the major exhibitors.
These precautionary measures come as the rate of transmission in Clark County, Nevada, where the city of Las Vegas is home to the show, is “high”, with 188.38 cases per 100,000 inhabitants detected. The county’s vaccination rate is also relatively low, as only 56.5% of the local population is fully vaccinated.
For what it’s worth, CES organizers are asking all attendees to show full proof of vaccination and wear masks in all indoor locations.