Not only the shops are experiencing rush hours in the days leading to Christmas holidays, but so is the state-run Slovak Post. During the pre-Christmas period, the Slovak post receives on average 1.1 million items daily, ranging from postcards to parcels. When compared to other months of the year, this number is twice as high. It has been rising especially in the past years, with the growing popularity of internet shops. In 2018, the amount of parcels delivered by Slovak post has been higher than ever. Daily it is around 50 thousand parcels. The Post will be delivering the last parcels on December 21.
Busy days are also at the transport hubs in the Slovak towns. Friday and over the weekend, thousands of people will be moving home for Christmas from the western part of Slovakia to east. As usual, the railway carrier Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko adds special trains as well as train-cars to the regular lines, as these are already sold out. According to the bus company Slovak lines, no extra bus connections have been added to the schedule; therefore, it may be difficult to get a ticket for those who have not purchased one in advance. Heavy traffic is expected also on the highways around the bigger towns.
To protect peace during the holidays, the number of police officers patrolling the Slovak towns will increase. Moreover, thirty soldiers will be helping the police to maintain public order. More than half of the troops will be allocated to Bratislava. According to the Interior Ministry, these steps are done in response to the current security situation in the world.
