AMD, P&G join forces with others to stay out of CES on Omicron fears

(Reuters) – Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ :), Micro-Star International Co. and Procter & Gamble (NYSE 🙂 Co. are the latest companies to refuse to attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month as Omicron cases rise.

The rapid spread of the new Coronavirus variant has forced individuals and businesses in the United States to rethink their travel plans in order to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Airlines like Delta Air Lines (NYSE 🙂 and so on Alaska Air (NYSE 🙂 The group has canceled hundreds of flights, even threatening the rise of new infections to prevent the recovery of the cruise industry.

CES, which serves as an annual showcase for technology industry trends and new gadgets, will have more than 2,200 exhibitors in Las Vegas this year.

The event, from January 5, will feature all participants in disguise and vaccination, and will also feature COVID-19 testing, the event’s organizer said a spokesman for the Consumer Technology Association.

“Our personal commitments will go virtual, for the benefit of the health and safety of our employees, partners and communities,” said a spokesman for AMD chip designer.

Others include the US automaker General Motors Co. (NYSE :), Alphabet (NASDAQ 🙂 Inc.’s Google, Facebook (NASDAQ 🙂 parent of Meta Platforms Inc. Twitter Inc. (NYSE :), Lenovo Group (OTC :), AT&T Inc (NYSE :), and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ 🙂 have canceled plans to attend in person, saying they will not be sent by staff because of Omicron’s deployment. .

The average number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States has risen by 55% over 205,000 a day over the past seven days, according to Reuters counts.