apticron E: Packages were downgraded and -y was used without --allow-downgrades

From: root@example.com (Cron Daemon)
To: root@example.com
Subject: Cron <root@example> if test -x /usr/sbin/apticron; then /usr/sbin/apticron --cron; else true; fi
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 00:51:13 +0200
 
E: Packages were downgraded and -y was used without --allow-downgrades.

$ less /usr/sbin/apticron
...
# get the list of packages which are pending an upgrade
PKGNAMES=`/usr/bin/apt-get -q -y --ignore-hold --allow-change-held-packages --allow-unauthenticated -s dist-upgrade | \
 /bin/grep ^Inst | /usr/bin/cut -d\ -f2 | /usr/bin/sort`

$ man apt-get
...
-q, --quiet
 Quiet; produces output suitable for logging, omitting progress
 indicators. More qs will produce more quiet up to a maximum of 2.
 You can also use -q=# to set the quiet level, overriding the
 configuration file. Note that quiet level 2 implies -y; you should
 never use -qq without a no-action modifier such as -d, --print-uris
 or -s as APT may decide to do something you did not expect.
 Configuration Item: quiet.
 
-s, --simulate, --just-print, --dry-run, --recon, --no-act
 No action; perform a simulation of events that would occur based on
 the current system state but do not actually change the system.
 Locking will be disabled (Debug::NoLocking) so the system state
 could change while apt-get is running. Simulations can also be
 executed by non-root users which might not have read access to all
 apt configuration distorting the simulation. A notice expressing
 this warning is also shown by default for non-root users
 (APT::Get::Show-User-Simulation-Note). Configuration Item:
 APT::Get::Simulate.
 
-y, --yes, --assume-yes
 Automatic yes to prompts; assume "yes" as answer to all prompts and
 run non-interactively. If an undesirable situation, such as
 changing a held package, trying to install an unauthenticated
 package or removing an essential package occurs then apt-get will
 abort. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Assume-Yes.
...
--allow-downgrades
 This is a dangerous option that will cause apt to continue without
 prompting if it is doing downgrades. It should not be used except
 in very special situations. Using it can potentially destroy your
 system! Configuration Item: APT::Get::allow-downgrades. Introduced
 in APT 1.1.

$ man apticron
 
$ sudo vi /etc/apticron/apticron.conf
 
$ less /etc/apticron/README
Any settings in a named 'apticron.conf' file in this directory will override
the default apticron options. You may want to copy the original
'/usr/lib/apticron/apticron.conf' in here and use it as a base.
 
*Do not* edit the original /usr/lib/apticron/apticron.conf, or you will lose
your local settings during the next apticron upgrade.