Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest drop CES plans over COVID-19 concerns

Attendees head into the Sands Expo and Convention Center during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Dec 21 (Reuters) – Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O), Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Pinterest Inc (PINS.N) separately said on Tuesday that they will not send teams to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month as concerns grow about the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The companies had not planned large in-person gatherings at the show.

“Out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees, we won’t be attending CES in-person due to the evolving public health concerns related to COVID-19,” Meta said.

Twitter had planned to have some employees attend to participate on panels, but said it has canceled its in-person presence and is exploring what virtual opportunities are possible.

Pinterest, which had already been planning a scaled down meeting area for its sales and partner teams from years past, said it had made a final decision to cancel.

CES in the past has attracted over 180,000 people from around the world to a sprawling set of casinos and convention spaces in Las Vegas, serving as an annual showcase of new trends and gadgets in the technology industry.

The Consumer Technology Association, which runs CES, said Tuesday that the show is going forward from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8. Health precautions will include vaccination requirements, masking and the availability of COVID-19 tests, the association said.

Several other companies have said they are moving forward for now with plans to attend. In a blog post on Monday, Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O)Waymo invited people to stop by its booth and check out its self-driving trucks.

A few companies had long ago planned for mostly virtual presences, among them chipmaker NvidiaCorp (NVDA.O), which is having two executives deliver a keynote address by video.

Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford and Sheila Dang; Additional reporting by Paresh Dave, Stephen Nellis and Helen Coster; Editing by Mark Porter and Aurora Ellis

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