Normal Motors and Waymo are the most recent firms to cancel CES plans over COVID-19-related issues.

GM CEO Mary Barra had been scheduled to offer a keynote speech on the annual convention on Jan. 5, throughout which the corporate would have proven its electrical Silverado pickup for the primary time. Barra will nonetheless make the speech and presentation over the web, a spokesman stated.

“CES is a vital expertise platform, and we’re persevering with with our plans on Jan. 5 to share our vital firm information together with the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV,” GM stated in an announcement late Thursday.

Waymo, the Google-affiliated autonmous driving firm, stated earlier Thursday it could now not take part within the annual expertise showcase subsequent month, citing rising issues over the omicron variant of the virus. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana had been scheduled to ship a keynote tackle Jan. 5 and take part in different actions in Las Vegas.

Additional, Waymo had deliberate to show its new Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck for the primary time. Constructed with redundant autonomous methods in collaboration with Daimler Vans, the platform is a lynchpin of Waymo’s emphasis on self-driving trucking.

“Primarily based on shortly rising COVID an infection charges, we have made the troublesome choice to drag our bodily presence at CES 2022,” a Waymo spokeswoman stated Thursday.

Waymo stated in a weblog put up that it hopes to take part just about if potential.

GM and Waymo are the most recent firms to desert CES plans within the face of rising COVID-19 infections. This week, Twitter, T-Cellular, Amazon and Meta (Fb) stated they’d not take part due to well being issues. Expertise-focused media shops reminiscent of TechCrunch and The Verge have additionally withdrawn.

CES organizers performed an all-virtual convention in 2021 however have up to now held agency within the face of the cancellations in planning for an in-person occasion in Las Vegas. They’ve made plans to require vaccinations for all attendees and masks within the conference corridor.

On Wednesday, previous to Waymo’s announcement, officers with the Client Expertise Affiliation, which owns and operates CES, stated they’d acquired 42 exhibitor cancellations since final Friday, whereas including 62 new deliberate exhibitors in the identical timeframe.

In a written assertion, the group stated the occasion continues “to indicate sturdy momentum,” and that “CES 2022 will go ahead as necessary innovation for world well being and security, mobility and fixing issues might be exhibited.”

Reuters contributed to this report.