diff --git a/.github/workflows/autotools.yml b/.github/workflows/autotools.yml
index 249b1f60d90..052487e8b8d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/autotools.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/autotools.yml
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Installs
       run: |
+        set -x
+        sudo gem install apt-spy2
+        sudo apt-spy2 check
+        sudo apt-spy2 fix --commit
+        # after selecting a specific mirror, we need to run 'apt-get update'
+        sudo apt-get update
         sudo apt-get install netcdf-bin libnetcdf-dev doxygen graphviz wget gfortran libjpeg-dev libz-dev openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev 
     - name: cache-pnetcdf
       id: cache-pnetcdf
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cmake.yml b/.github/workflows/cmake.yml
index d129c69c97d..bf1671b94f9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cmake.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cmake.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Installs
       run: |
+        set -x
+        sudo gem install apt-spy2
+        sudo apt-spy2 check
+        sudo apt-spy2 fix --commit
+        # after selecting a specific mirror, we need to run 'apt-get update'
+        sudo apt-get update
         sudo apt-get install netcdf-bin libnetcdf-dev doxygen graphviz wget gfortran libjpeg-dev libz-dev openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev
 
     - name: cache-pnetcdf
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cmake_ncint.yml b/.github/workflows/cmake_ncint.yml
index 4948619eb2b..53a67a59c26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cmake_ncint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cmake_ncint.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Installs
       run: |
+        set -x
+        sudo gem install apt-spy2
+        sudo apt-spy2 check
+        sudo apt-spy2 fix --commit
+        # after selecting a specific mirror, we need to run 'apt-get update'
+        sudo apt-get update
         sudo apt-get install netcdf-bin libnetcdf-dev doxygen graphviz wget gfortran libjpeg-dev libz-dev openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev 
 
     - name: cache-pnetcdf
diff --git a/.github/workflows/strict_autotools.yml b/.github/workflows/strict_autotools.yml
index 2d581aefd4d..b47c4b1ba5f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/strict_autotools.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/strict_autotools.yml
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Installs
       run: |
+        set -x
+        sudo gem install apt-spy2
+        sudo apt-spy2 check
+        sudo apt-spy2 fix --commit
+        # after selecting a specific mirror, we need to run 'apt-get update'
+        sudo apt-get update
         sudo apt-get install netcdf-bin libnetcdf-dev doxygen graphviz wget gfortran libjpeg-dev libz-dev openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev 
 
     - name: cache-pnetcdf