The Consumer Technology Association responded Friday to a report that theorized the CES show in Las Vegas in January could have been a major transmission junction for COVID-19 given the timing, the attendance figures and the number of international visitors. CTA said it knew of no connection, but was certainly willing to help in any effort to trace the virus' spread.
According to CES, over 175,000 people attended the show, including 61,000 from outside the country.
The report called the show an "intriguing puzzle piece of the pandemic's spread."
In response, CES said it had not been made aware by and health officials about any of those 175,000 having the virus, but was certainly willing to help puzzle out its transmission, and pointed out that technology in combination with medicine will help fight pandemics and save lives.
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“The health, safety and security of our CES attendees are a top priority, and we take precautions every year to protect our participants," CTA said in a statement. "We are not aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 connected to CES 2020. And we have not heard from any health officials, government authorities or corporate entities reporting that one of our attendees was exposed to the virus.
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“We understand this is a difficult and unsettling time and people are concerned. We share those concerns – especially about our employees’, attendees’, partners’ and workers’ health. We encourage efforts to learn about the spread of the virus and commit to cooperate, consistent with the law, to figure out how COVID-19 was spread and how we can minimize the spread of future viruses," CTA said.
“Most importantly, given what we know today, we are taking all precautions to ensure future CTA events are organized and executed based on recommendations by public health experts, with the health and safety of our participants as our paramount concern. And we are encouraged that the combination of technology and medicine will create innovative solutions for pandemics such as COVID-19 and save lives.”
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CTA has already created a telehealth portal as well in response to White House calls.
