Waymo, Lenovo, Intel and now Google withdrew from physically attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year and has decided to show its presence virtually instead. It’s not the globally renowned search company alone, but others in the tech space have also expressed a change over concerns due to the rising numbers of coronavirus cases and the omicron variant.

Regardless of the withdrawal of certain companies, the show’s governing body, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), remains committed to its decision of having the show go on, even when losing more participants.

“While we recently received 42 exhibitor cancellations (less than seven percent of our exhibit floor)”, says CTA, “since last week we've added 60 new exhibitors for our in person event”.

The CTA believes that the event can go on with vaccination and masking restrictions, the availability of COVID-19 tests, social distancing measures, and decreased attendance. From January 5 to 8, CES 2022 will be held both virtually and in person.

Several companies, including some that are not expecting to have a physical presence at the show, will host press conferences the day before it begins.

Having been the whizzkid over the years, Google’s decline is not a surprise since it has maximized its hardware footprint through its Nest line of home products including Pixel handsets. It’s also notable that its complex outdoor exhibits have been a mainstay in the recent years in the Las Vegas Convention Center Parking lot.

Despite the fact that some of the confab's higher-profile companies have withdrawn, the CTA stressed that the exhibition floor is still home to small and medium-sized businesses. Startups with specialist computer expertise and companies that make pizza-making robots have been among the previous attendees searching for that exposure.

However, many individuals are concerned about the proliferation of the omicron form and the surge in COVID-19 cases. For those visiting the physical event, the CTA noted its vaccination and masking requirements, as well as the availability of COVID testing, although an increasing number of enterprises are planning to go digital-only.

T-Mobile’s CEO, Mike Sievert, announced that it has cancelled keynote delivery either in-person or virtually and that the company is planning to significantly limit its physical presence from the show.

T-Mobile says that ‘vast majority’ of its team wouldn't be heading to Vegas, though the company will remain as a sponsor. “We are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision”.

Meta and Twitter have also said that they would be declining from physically attending the show.

Meta says that it will instead show its virtual presence, given that “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”.

Twitter says that, “the safety and health of our people and our partners as our #1 priority. With that in mind, due to the spike in COVID cases across the country in the past week, we've decided to cancel our in-person presence at CES next month”.

TikTok and AT&T were next, with the social media business declaring that its CES presence would now be a virtual one and the carrier announcing that on-site participation would no longer be required.

"In light of the increase in positive COVID-19 cases across the country, TikTok has decided to host a virtual TikTok CES experience for our brands and partners”, says the company.

Lenovo joined in, announcing that it had opted to cancel its in-person operations for the show, while Intel confirmed its own change of plans, stating that it would reduce its participation.

“After consulting with health officials and in the spirit of Intel's safety policy, our plans for CES will move to a digital-first, live experience, with minimal on-site staff”, claims Intel.