also called for a stop to the use of the pandemic as an "excuse to double-down on racist policing," reporting that residents of heavily black neighborhoods in chicago were being told about a 5pm curfew and being ticketed and detained for being outside. statistics data tracked through mid-may revealed that black people accounted for 25% of us deaths despite only making up about 13% of the us population; hispanics made up 24% of deaths while only making up about 18.5% of the population; and white people accounted for 35% despite making up roughly 60% of the population. the ama center for health equity released a report in october listing structural and social determinants that contributed to the latino population's higher rates of infection and death. federal public health officials released a new strategy addressing inequalities, and officials at the centers for disease control and prevention clarified earlier messaging to emphasize that the disproportionately high impact of covid-19 on minority groups is not due to genetics but rather social conditions that place people of color at higher risk for exposure and serious illness. reasons cited include working in industries with no sick pay, front line jobs where working from home is impossible, multi-generational and multi-family accommodation, and insufficient space to isolate or quarantine. combined, academics have referred to these factors as 'structural vulnerability'; blacks, latinos, and other marginalized groups are at greater risk of contracting covid-19 and may have access to fewer resources to mitigate its effects. within the latino community, additional factors are language barriers, fear of deportation, and invisibility in national discourse and rhetoric. although covid-19 vaccinations began in december 2020, black and latino populations are not vaccinated at the same rates as whites, and their neighborhoods continue to have more covid-19 deaths as of february 2021. according to the chicago tribune, blacks and latinos are getting vaccinated at half the amount as whites. u.s. rep. jesús "chuy" garcía cited factors such as language barriers, healthcare deserts, and fear of deportation. although the governor said their administration was focusing on improving vaccination access alongside the illinois national guard, community leaders such as rev. emma lozano of pilsen's lincoln united methodist church have remained skeptical. prisons over march and april, in response to the rise in coronavirus cases, the illinois department of corrections (idoc) released a number of prisoners early, looking to curb the impact of the pandemic on a vulnerable population. this was accompanied by an executive order by the governor on march 26, suspending further admission to idoc from county jails. quarantines were also implemented at these locations, suspending in-person visits. despite these measures, there were outbreaks of covid-19 from march onwards, among both prisoners and staff. as of july 9, there have been 203 cases of covid-19 among prison staff in the state, and 337 cases of covid-19 among prisoners. stateville correctional center, the largest prison in the state, had the largest number of recorded cases, with 266 cases among prisoners and staff. impact on cultural events sports main article: impact of the covid-19 pandemic on sports most of state's sports teams were affected. major league baseball cancelled the remainder of spring training on march 12, and on march 16, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the cdc to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the chicago white sox and chicago cubs. also on march 12, the national basketball association suspended the season for 30 days, affecting the chicago bulls. also on that date, the national hockey league, suspended the season indefinitely, affecting the chicago blackhawks. also on march 12, major league soccer suspended the season for 30 days, affecting the chicago fire fc. on april 3, the women's national basketball association announced that the beginning of the season originally scheduled for may 15 would be delayed indefinitely, affecting the chicago sky. in college sports, the national collegiate athletic association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments on march 12, most notably the division i men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide. on march 16, the national junior college athletic association canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons. also on march 12, the illinois high school association announced the cancellation of most remaining winter state series postseason tournaments, with basketball being the main activity affected. on may 28, 2020, the pga tour announced that the john deere classic in silvis would be cancelled for 2020. nascar was scheduled to race at chicagoland speedway on june 19–21, but on may 8, nascar announced that the event was cancelled. nhra cancelled the race at route 66 speedway. cultural events in chicago's south loop district, light-shows became a regular daily event at 8pm every day by mid-april. the chicago marathon set to take place on october 11 was canceled due to public health concerns, following the cancelation of the new york city marathon and boston marathon. many summer events in chicago were canceled, including: lollapalooza, chicago house music conference and festival, chicago gospel music festival, chicago blues festival, chicago summerdance, taste of chicago, the chicago air and water show, chicago jazz festival, and most programming at the chicago riverwalk, chicago cultural center and millennium park. midwest furfest, the world's largest furry convention as of 2022, announced its cancellation of its 2020 event on july 15 of that year. the 2021 event occurred in person with attendees required to show proof of vaccination and wear a face mask, regardless if they are wearing a fursuit or not. in springfield, illinois, the majority of the illinois state fair was canceled for the first time since world war ii. the fair's youth livestock judging shows were held in september, and the fair's motor races (allen crowe memorial 100 and bettenhausen 100) were held in october.