[Epoch Times December 24, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Xin compiled a report) Google and General Motors (GM) and other companies said on Thursday (23rd) that due to the surge in COVID-19 (new crown pneumonia) cases, They will no longer send people to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas early next month.
According to a Reuters report, those who announced on Thursday that they would not participate in the Consumer Electronics Show also included Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Prior to this, some large companies had given up plans to attend the event in person.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra (Mary Barra) was originally scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the CES annual meeting on January 5, when the company will showcase its electric Silverado pickup truck for the first time. A spokesperson said that Barra will still conduct speeches and presentations remotely.
A Google spokesperson said in a statement: “After careful consideration, we have decided not to appear in the exhibition hall of the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show for the time being.” The spokesperson added that Google will continue to support the opportunity to hold video exhibitions.
Waymo said in a blog post that if possible, the company hopes to participate in Las Vegas events via video.
Intel also said on Thursday that it will minimize the number of staff sent to the Consumer Electronics Show.
“The health and safety of our employees, partners and customers has always been the top priority.” The chip maker said.
Several other companies, including Facebook’s parent company “Meta Platforms Inc”, Twitter, Lenovo Group, AT&T and Amazon, also abandoned plans to visit the site earlier this week. These companies stated that they would not send employees to the exhibition out of cautious consideration of Omicron’s dissemination.
CES said that the event will still be held on site from January 5 to 8 as planned, and “strong safety measures” will be taken, including requirements for vaccinations, masks, and COVID-19 testing.
CES also added that although it has received notices from 42 exhibitors to cancel their participation in the event since last Thursday, this is less than 7% of the total number of exhibitors, and it has added another 60.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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