CES 2022: Attendees Get Complimentary COVID Test Kit

CES2022
CES will run January 5-8 in Las Vegas. (Image credit: Consumer Technology Association)

The Consumer Technology Association is handing out free Abbott COVID-19 BinaxNOW self-test kits (Abbott is an exhibitor), which contain two tests, to each attendee who shows up in person to CES 2022 in Las Vegas (January 5-7 for in-person attendance).

That comes as the omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps the country and as some big-name exhibitors have been switching to digital-only attendance (a "DO" designation in the online exhibitor list, according to Protocol.

Also: Google Cancels In Person CES Exhibit

The kits could be a draw in themselves since they have become a hot commodity in some areas with a shortage of the self-tests that have been in demand before holiday gatherings.

Attendees must show proof of full vaccination to get in the door to the trade show, where indoor masks are also required.

CES will also provide for testing for those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms while in a CES venue and will provide international travelers an RT-PCR test for their trip home. They must have already tested negative no more than a day before travel to the U.S. 

The CES 2022 Show Daily is published by TWICE, which is owned by Next TV parent Future. ■

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.