PARIS — On the evening of April 15, 2019, the world watched Notre-Dame burn.

Confused tourists pointed their smartphones as smoke billowed out of the cathedral’s rooftop. Horrified Parisians watched from the Seine River’s banks as flames tore through the centuries-old attic, sending the spire crashing into the vaults below. President Emmanuel Macron, beamed to television sets around the world, vowed to rebuild by 2024, when Paris will host the Summer Olympic Games.

But one year later, all the tourists are gone and the streets are empty. Parisians are confined to their homes, as Mr. Macron tries to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from overwhelming France’s hospitals and tanking its economy.

The world’s attention is elsewhere.

“Our days, our thoughts, our lives today are monopolized by this terrible crisis that we are going through,” Mr. Macron, referring to the Covid-19 outbreak, said in a short video published on social media as he thanked “those who yesterday saved” the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and “those who today are rebuilding it.”

All the tributes initially planned for Wednesday to mark the anniversary were scrapped. They included a reception at the Élysée Palace to honor the workers tending to Notre-Dame; an official ceremony with the cathedral choir; and a performance of a musical about Notre-Dame in front of City Hall.