Despite an exodus from the show of major exhibitors and media outlets, including keynoter and sponsor T-Mobile (see 2112220003), the in-person CES 2022 will “go forward” Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas because “important innovation for world health and safety, mobility and solving problems will be exhibited” there, said CTA Wednesday. “Thousands of smaller and medium sized companies rely on CES for their business,” it said. “We have increased our official count to over 2200 exhibitors.” The 42 exhibitor cancellations CTA recently got are “less than 7% of our exhibit floor,” and 60 new companies joined since Friday, it said. “Digital access” to CES 2022 is available “for people that don’t wish to, or can’t travel to Las Vegas,” said CTA. “Registrations for both our digital access and our Las Vegas event are continuing to show strong momentum, with thousands more registrations in the last few days.” CES 2022 will have “comprehensive health measures” in place, including mandated COVID-19 vaccines, a Las Vegas indoor-masking requirement and onsite COVID-19 testing, said CTA. But the show is not requiring booster shots, and adherence to the Abbott Labs BinaxNOW rapid antigen self-test kits it’s distributing free to all badge holders will rely on the individual honor system (see 2112170033). With the health and safety protocols in place, “coupled with lower attendance and social distancing measures, we are confident that attendees and exhibitors can have a socially distanced but worthwhile and productive event in Las Vegas, as well as a rewarding experience on our digital access,” said the association.

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning Monday of the “potential for a rapid increase” in U.S. COVID-19 infections from the new omicron variant, CNET’s withdrawal from CES 2022 as an in-person participant bears watching for whether it's an isolated event or the start of a larger trend. See our news bulletin here. The rising volume of COVID-19 and omicron cases sparked CNET’s parent company, Red Ventures, to “pause travel for all U.S.-based employees through mid-January,” emailed a spokesperson. Red Ventures completed its $500 million CNET buy from ViacomCBS in October 2020 (see 2010300029). CNET “will now shift our CES focus to remote coverage,” said the spokesperson. “CNET will continue to report on new consumer and tech products and developments, talk to industry leaders, engage with global brands, and highlight emerging trends from a remote setting.” CTA didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday. To some CES 2022 exhibitors, the emergence and rapid spread of the omicron variant appeared to cast a pall over the impending show as November turned into December. “I do wonder if we will see some big changes in the show’s plans this week,” emailed one exhibitor Monday. “Anecdotally, the groundswell of interest in an in-person show that we felt ahead of Thanksgiving seems to be rapidly receding." CTA at least is "well positioned to pivot to a virtual-only show if they must,” said the exhibitor. CTA shows little public appetite for retreating to a digital-only CES 2022, despite CDC’s warning about omicron, now responsible for about 75% of new U.S. COVID-19 cases."Excitement Builds for CES 2022," headlined CTA's announcement Friday of new health and safety protocols for the show.

The Southern Nevada Health District’s contact tracing efforts “begin immediately after we receive a report of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case,” emailed a spokesperson Wednesday. CES 2022 contact tracing and other COVID-19 “mitigation efforts are put into place by the event organizer,” she said. “There is an indoor mask mandate in place in Nevada and Clark County. This remains in effect into January. We encourage everyone attending CES to ensure they are vaccinated or have received their booster doses as well as comply with the state’s mask mandate, wash their hands and practice good hygiene, and get tested before or after their visit.” The district confirmed its first case of the omicron variant Tuesday, in a Clark County resident. CTA encourages CES 2022 attendees to download the COVID Trace contact-tracing app developed by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said an association spokesperson. But the app remains obscure, and we couldn’t find mention of it on the CES 2022 website Thursday. Information about the contact-tracing app for CES 2022 "will be available on our website in the coming days," said the CTA spokesperson. CTA is requiring CES 2022 participants to be fully vaccinated, but isn't mandating booster shots (see 2112140042).

Three weeks before CES returns to Las Vegas for the first time in two years as a physical show, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the state’s first case of COVID-19's omicron variant Tuesday in a local resident. The person who tested positive for omicron is a fully vaccinated female in her mid-20s who lives in Clark County and who hasn't gotten a booster shot, said SNHD. Her case is still being investigated, it said. “We knew that it was only a matter of time” before omicron would show up in Southern Nevada, said Fermin Leguen, SNHD health officer. “People can protect themselves from all variants of the COVID-19 virus by getting fully vaccinated and getting a booster when they are eligible, wearing a mask in public indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status, and staying home and getting tested if they are sick.” CTA is requiring CES 2022 attendees to be fully vaccinated. There’s no change in show policy not mandating a booster shot, despite Pfizer’s Dec. 8 finding of a 25-fold reduction in protection against omicron among people with two Pfizer doses, but not the booster (see 2112140042).

With about three weeks before CES 2022 opens in Las Vegas, there’s no change in CTA policy not requiring a COVID-19 booster shot “at this time” to attend the in-person Jan. 5-8 show, emailed a spokesperson Tuesday. CTA considers CES participants fully vaccinated if they got their second dose of a multi-dose vaccine like the Pfizer or Moderna or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson at least 14 days before picking up a badge. Imposing a CES booster mandate now for those collecting a badge on the show’s opening morning would require proof of the extra dose at least three days before Christmas. The CTA spokesperson sidestepped our questions about Pfizer’s Dec. 8 report showing a 25-fold reduction in protection against the new omicron variant among people with two Pfizer doses, but not the booster. Getting the booster restores the protection against omicron to levels approaching those of the original two doses, said Pfizer. “We are actively tracking the emerging news and science around the new Omicron variant,” say CTA’s CES 2022 health and safety protocols posted weeks ago and still active Tuesday at the show's website. “While it is too early to determine the impact of this latest variant, we will continue to monitor and adjust our plans and health protocols as necessary.”

“Strong momentum” is building for the first in-person Las Vegas CES in two years, with opening day of the Jan. 5-8 event less than four weeks out, said CTA Thursday. The show’s exhibitor count has climbed by 200 since mid-November to 1,900 companies, and 2,400 media have registered, up from 1,700, it said. “Those who may be unable to travel to Las Vegas, will be able to access CES digitally,” said the association. Registration for the digital component was to have opened Thursday, but the ability to register was still not active through midday.

Uploading a COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Clear smartphone app and its embedded Health Pass is the most expedient way for CES 2022 attendees who are fully inoculated to pick up their badges on arrival in Las Vegas, say CTA’s health and safety protocols. Those who don’t have the Clear app or another form of digital vaccine proof will be diverted to one of five customer service centers at various CES 2022 venues to show their physical CDC cards. “Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose of multi-dose vaccines and 14 days after the single-dose vaccines,” say the protocols. “CES will strictly enforce this schedule.” The protocols mean that anyone visiting a badge pickup location on the show’s opening morning Jan. 5 will have needed to get a final vaccine dose at least three days before Christmas. We queried Clear to ask how the app can differentiate between authentic and counterfeit CDC cards. Clear’s “digital vaccine solutions link a verified identity to COVID-19 insights to help deter potential fraud,” emailed spokesperson Ken Lisaius. “The CDC card upload uses image recognition technology and computer learning to determine if the card being uploaded meets the visual specifications of a government-issued CDC card,” said Lisaius, a former deputy press secretary in the George W. Bush White House. He left unanswered whether the Clear app will deny a badge to anyone not fully vaccinated at least 14 days out. CES is using Clear’s Health Pass “for free, safe and frictionless entry to the event,” said Lisaius. Only people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 "will be able to participate in-person in Las Vegas," say the CES 2022 protocols. The only exceptions are for convention staff and freight company employees who work the show venues during off-peak and overnight hours, they say. “We have requested that all convention staff during show days and hours show proof of vaccination.”

CTA representatives didn’t respond to questions about how they think the Biden administration’s tightened restrictions on overseas travelers to the U.S. designed to thwart the spread of COVID-19's omicron variant might affect international participation at CES 2022. The U.S. will require all inbound international travelers to test negative for COVID-19 within one day of departure globally, “regardless of nationality or vaccination status,” said the White House Thursday. The previous requirement was for a negative test result within three days of departure for the U.S. “This tighter testing timeline provides an added degree of public health protection,” as scientists continue to assess the omicron variant, it said. CTA executives at recent media briefings emphasized international CES 2022 participation, especially after the U.S. reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers Nov. 8, about two weeks before South African epidemiologists discovered the emergence of the new variant. “Tens of thousands” were registered for CES 2022, “30% of them international,” Karen Chupka, CTA executive vice president-CES, told a Nov. 18 media briefing. Most of the international registrants were from Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan and South Korea, she said. The show’s Eureka Park pavilion of tech startups will have representation from “nearly every region of the world,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro at the same briefing. The pavilion will feature 100 startups from the Netherlands, and the Italian delegation will be up 40% from the 2020 show, he said then.

The safety of CES 2020 “participants and partners” is a “top priority,” emailed an association spokesperson Thursday, responding to our queries about the possible impact of COVID-19's new omicron variant on the Jan. 5-8 event planned for the Las Vegas Convention Center. “We are actively tracking the emerging news and science,” she said. CTA continues to “follow guidance” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, “as well as relevant federal, state, and local government requirements,” she said. "While it is too early to determine the impact of this latest variant, we will continue to monitor and adjust our plans and health protocols as necessary."

LG Electronics will create a “new approach to engaging audiences” at CES 2022, leveraging augmented and virtual reality to link digital attendees to its 22,000-square-foot physical booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall, said the company’s South Korean parent Monday. Visitors to the physical show floor will be able to take a self-guided tour of the LG booth using QR codes to navigate a “series of kiosks” showcasing new products and technologies, it said. “Audiences around the world will be able to access the same content and participate digitally.” LG scheduled a CES 2022 news conference for Jan. 4 in its customary 8 a.m. Media Day time slot.