It has been more than two years since COVID-19 appeared, but the new Omicron variant outbreak has forced several companies to cancel their participation in CES 2022 in Las Vegas. The latest announcement comes from General Motors that pulled out of the event, although the presentation that was scheduled for January 5 will still happen online.

The big news for GM is the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV, a fully electric truck set to reach the market in 2023. The Ford F-150 Lightning rival will share GM’s Ultrium platform with the GMC Hummer EV, with an expected range of 400 miles (644 km) of range, all-wheel steering, 24-inch wheels, and a glass roof. Despite the cancellation of their CES participation, GM will still show us the vehicle and CEO Mary Barra will make the planned speech online.

As reported by Automotive News, General Motors issued the following statement on Thursday: “CES is an important technology platform, and we are continuing with our plans on Jan. 5 to share our significant company news including the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV”.

See Also: GM Invests $51 Million In Indiana Aluminum Casting Plant To Support Silverado EV Production

Who else isn’t going to CES 2022?

On the same day, a Waymo spokesperson announced they won’t physically participate in CES due to health concerns after the “quickly rising Covid infection rates”. However, the autonomous driving tech company hopes to participate virtually if such a thing is made possible by the organizers. Waymo had also scheduled a presentation for January 5 and was planning on showcasing the autonomous Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck.

Besides GM and Waymo, other companies that pulled out of CES earlier this week due to the pandemic include Twitter, T-Mobile, Amazon, and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), with media outlets TechCrunch and The Verge following their example.

On Wednesday, CES organizer Consumer Technology Association revealed that there had been 42 cancellations since last Friday, but 62 new companies joined as planned exhibitors in the same period. In their statement, they claimed that the event still shows strong momentum, adding that “CESS 2022 will go forward as important innovation for world health and safety, mobility and solving problems will be exhibited”. Visitors at CES 2022 will be required to be vaccinated and wear masks.