Making it work: CES 2022 show-goers soak up new tech while navigating COVID-19 risk

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CTA says that determination are "tens of thousands" of attendees and 2,300 companies astatine the amusement this year.

COVID-19 is the obnoxious and uninvited impermanent astatine the party, but CES 2022 organizers and in-person attendees are making the champion of an awkward situation. At the opening league connected Wednesday, Jan. 5, CTA President Gary Shapiro said, "Masks disconnected for the photo!" arsenic a group gathered connected the main stage. In the chat during the livestream of remarks from Shapiro and his EVP of CES Karen Chupka, 1 idiosyncratic commented, "One of my coworkers got to CES and tested affirmative for COVID. He is quarantined to his country for the duration."

There were acquainted scenes of crowds lining up and streaming into the showroom floor, though numbers were a fraction compared with attendance successful erstwhile years. The showrooms are not bare but the small fig of cars successful a edifice parking garage reflects the less in-person attendees this year. "Low measurement but precocious quality" is however 1 idiosyncratic described CES 2022.

The Consumer Technology Association reports determination are tens of thousands of attendees and implicit 2,300 exhibiting companies, including much than 800 startups.

The crowds are smaller this twelvemonth but determination is inactive plentifulness of chill tech to spot astatine the show. BMW's color-changing car is attracting a batch of attention. John Deere showed disconnected an autonomous tractor and GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the caller electrical Silverado. A high-tech pillow volition nudge you to alteration presumption if you commencement to snore.

Another "innovation" astatine this year's amusement is the color-coded sticker attendees tin adhd to lawsuit badges to show their comfortableness level erstwhile it comes to greeting different people. Red means support your germs to yourself and wave, yellowish means an elbow bump is OK and greenish means a handshake is OK.

Attendees had to amusement impervious of vaccination earlier receiving a badge, and each idiosyncratic got 2 self-test kits erstwhile they registered. People are expected to use some tests during the week to bounds the hazard of exposure.

CTA is not tracking lawsuit numbers astatine the show. If an idiosyncratic tests affirmative astatine the show, helium oregon she has to instrumentality the badge and permission the show. Case numbers are breaking records crossed the U.S. with an mean of much than 500,000 caller cases a day, and the full state is successful the reddish zone. Las Vegas is simply a blistery spot successful Nevada.

There seems to beryllium capable idiosyncratic protective instrumentality astatine hospitals during this surge, but treatments for COVID-19 are successful abbreviated supply. Some hospitals person tally retired of definite drugs and others are turning to algorithms to determine who gets treatments for Omicron cases.

Tests are not casual to find successful retail stores, and Kroger and Walmart raised the terms of self-home kits aft a woody to merchantability the kits astatine outgo expired. The national authorities is still moving connected the details of a program to nonstop escaped tests to anyone who requests one. Any leftover investigating kits from CES 2022 volition beryllium a blistery commodity.

It's excessively soon to cognize if CES2022 volition beryllium a superspreader event. If attendees travel the rules for investigating and masking, organizers volition person done everything they tin to equilibrium the benefits of in-person events with the hazard of COVID-19.