The government has come up with a goal to cut public journeys by as much as 90% in order to limit new coronavirus infections.

The plan was proposed by army chief Gen Apirat Kongsomgpong at Monday's meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), according to spokesman Tawee­sin Visanuyothin.

Compared to March 21, the number of journeys made by the public one week later on Saturday had decreased by 46% after the government began implementing measures to encourage members of the public not to take unnecessary trips.

Personal car use fell by 41% while the number of electric train passengers had fallen by 59% during the same period, he said.

The number of inter-city train passengers had dropped by 65% while the number of boat passengers had come down by 40%, he added.

"We will have to continue asking for more public cooperation to achieve the 90% travel cut goal to flatten the curve of new infections. So far we've only achieved a 40% cut on average," Dr Taweesin said.

"The key to success in communicating with members of the public during this crisis is keeping them well informed and updated about the outbreak situation in the country via social media."