“Coachecron”

An upward trend in gasoline pricing has taken the US by storm. Many theories about this increase in cost swirl around, but the truth simply relates back to Covid-19.

Seemingly always there to ruin a good time, scientists in the CDC began predicting a new spike in Covid cases because of Coachella, one of the most popular music  festivals in the world which takes place in Indio, California each year. While trying to prevent Covid from spreading around the desert, CDC officials worked with the government to slowly raise gas prices, hoping to deter festival goers from commuting into California. 

“I was honestly shocked to hear that they would go to such lengths to ruin my favorite event of the year,” influencer and content creator Nettie Bloom said. 

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, more commonly known as “Coachella,” boasts famous performers and high numbers of attendees annually. With performances by some of the most popular  artists of the time,  such as Harry Styles, Doja Cat, and Billie Eilish, fans rapidly bought tickets for entrance to both weekends. 

“I realized that all of the artists I discovered in quarantine were going, and I just had to see them in person!” avid Harry Styles listener Lara Moss said. 

In 2020 and 2021, Coachella was canceled to the dismay of many eager celebrities, influencers, and music lovers alike. With the comeback of Coachella in 2022, high ranking government and CDC officials became worried about a new variant they referred to as “Coachecron.” As many festival goers drove to the event, officials assumed that high gas pricing would limit the amount of people who could afford to travel so far. Although flight prices have not seen such an increase, ride share programs like Uber and Lyft have had to increase their pricing. 

“Gas is a necessity, people will always be forced to buy it as cities get larger and the suburbs grow. But people have started to pick and choose where they go and what extensive trips they go on to save more money, meaning we have actually been successful,” CDC official Judith Coleman said.

This year, Coachella is expected to draw in about 750,000  people after tickets sold out well in advance. The CDC continues to warn people against attending large gatherings without being vaccinated or wearing a mask, though many pictures posted to Instagram and Twitter show high amounts of influencers without masks on. 

“It just doesn’t go with my day one or day two outfits. Plus Jack Harlow is playing, and I want him to fall in love with me,” Bloom said.

Officials are still monitoring the rise in Covid cases as the second weekend of Coachella looms close.