Health workers honored at France's Bastille Day
Instead, President Emmanuel Macron, standing in the back of a military jeep, reviewed ranks of socially-distanced troops in the Place de la Concorde square after a flypast by military aircraft.
Health workers who have been in the frontlines of France's battle against the virus joined troops on the square for the ceremony, garnering applause from attendees.
It is the first time since 1980 that the annual parade has not been held along the Champs Elysees.
Spectators on Tuesday were not allowed near Place de la Concorde, Paris' largest square, to avoid the spread of the disease that has killed at least 30,000 people in France.
Dignitaries in the reviewing stands were seated at a distance from each other.
Bastille Day, or the French National Day, dates back to the 1789 revolution. On that day, citizens stormed the Bastille fortress, which was used to detain prisoners and had become a symbol of the harsh rule of the French monarchy.
Traditionally, the national holiday is rounded off with a fireworks display, with thousands of people gathering in the area around the Eiffel Tower to watch.
The fireworks will go ahead this year, but the parkland around the tower will be closed to the public.
