Audience show suspended at Wagah Border retreat ceremony

The lowering of the flag ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force, BSF) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. 
At the international border between India and Pakistan, the pomp and pageantry of the Beating Retreat and the Change of Guard occur within the handshaking distance of the Indian and Pakistani forces. Wagah, an army outpost on the India-Pakistan border between Amritsar and Lahore, is an elaborate complex of buildings, roads and barriers on both sides. The daily highlight is the evening “Beating the Retreat” ceremony. Soldiers from both countries march in a drill, going through the steps of bringing down their respective national flags.
Officials have declared that, as a precautionary measure against covid pandemic situation, the public viewing of the daily flag-lowering retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah joint check post (JCP) at Attari near Amritsar in Punjab has
been suspended indefinitely. Last year also, the BSF had suspended the retreat ceremony on the Indian side of the border owing to the pandemic.
The public will not be allowed at the Attari-Wagah JCP, around 30 km from Attari on the Indian side till further orders, a Border Security Force (BSF) official has said in a statement.