SAN DIEGO — It's been "pretty busy" this weekend at the San Diego International Airport, but not as busy as it used to be on a Labor Day weekend prior to the coronavirus pandemic, an airport official said.
"It's definitely picking up," airport spokesperson Pouya Abdomrasoul said. She added that Sunday was most likely to be the busiest.
Masks are required when inside the airport and on airplanes, the airport reminded travelers.
The weather along the coast and in some valleys Monday is expected to be a few degrees cooler than Sunday's temperatures, thanks to a coastal eddy forecast.
San Diego lifeguards and the National Weather Service were warning beachgoers of elevated surf, which can create dangerous swimming conditions, including a high risk of rip currents.
Parking lots at county beaches, such as the ones at Belmont Park in Mission Beach, filled up quickly Monday. Beach parking on a holiday is usually tough to find even before noon, and traffic can easily turn into gridlock later in the day.
Officials estimate the biggest crowds were in the southern part of San Diego County with a total of 250,000 visitors from Sunset Cliffs to Blacks Beach in La Jolla over the past three days.
"The past several weeks, the weather has been overcast and the crowds decreased a lot. And then this weekend that all changed," said San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Brian Clark.
He tells News 8 the crowds swelled over the weekend.
"When we started looking at hotels, looking at prices, I told my husband 'I think maybe everyone in California is going to the same beach we're going to,'" laughed Katie McCarney. Her family is visiting San Diego from Idaho.
Local Labor Day events included a one-mile swim around the Oceanside Pier at 8:30 a.m. Monday at 200 The Strand North sponsored by the Oceanside Swim Club.
At 10 a.m., a Labor Day rally was held in support of essential workers at CVS Pharmacy, 3327 Rosecrans St. in Point Loma. The rally is sponsored by UFCW Local 135 and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council. The union workers are seeking a new contract.
WATCH: Rally held in support of essential workers on Labor Day
County health officials urge anyone celebrating the holiday to use extreme caution when gathering with others, to wear face coverings whenever possible and practice social distancing.
Labor Day, the yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of the nation, was first celebrated in the United States on Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City.
In 1887, Oregon became the first state to formally recognize Labor Day. By 1894, 31 of the then-44 states had made Labor Day a holiday when Congress passed a bill designating the first Monday in September a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and territories.
In his Labor Day proclamation, President Joe Biden wrote, "On this Labor Day, we honor the pioneers who stood up for the dignity of working people -- leaders like Cesar Chavez, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A. Phillip Randolph, John L. Lewis, Samuel Gompers, Frances Perkins and many more.
"We must recommit ourselves to advancing the historic progress these trailblazers made as we work to deliver a decent life with security, respect, and dignity for all."