Quebecers are being urged to minimize in-person contact and Ontario is trying to clear its COVID-19 testing backlog as Canada's two most populous provinces report increases in new daily infections.
Ontario reported 409 new infections today, up from 335 on Wednesday.
Quebec had 582 new cases, up from 471 a day earlier.
There has also been one new death in each province related to the novel coronavirus.
Quebec's health minister warns that the province could "hit a wall" if efforts aren't taken to reduce the rising infection numbers and is urging people to minimize non-essential gatherings in the coming weeks.
Christian Dube says the contagion is being driven by community transmission at family gatherings, private parties, funerals and weddings.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says nearly two-thirds of new cases in her province are in people under 40.
Ontario tweaked its approach to asymptomatic testing on Thursday as many centres in the province have struggled with long lineups. Back-to-school demand has contributed to a processing backlog of nearly 50,000 tests.
Previously, anyone who wanted to get a COVID-19 test could go to an assessment centre. But Premier Doug Ford said the focus should be on people with symptoms or those who have come into contact with a known case.
Low-risk asymptomatic individuals can still make an appointment at up to 60 pharmacies across the province to get tested.
Alberta reined back its broad asymptomatic testing last week, limiting it to close contacts of confirmed cases and high-risk groups.
Canada's total number of COVID-19 cases stands at nearly 149,000, including more than 9,200 deaths.
Trudeau warned in a televised speech on Wednesday that a dramatic tripling in new daily COVID-19 cases in the last month means Canadians aren't likely to be able to gather for Thanksgiving.
"We're on the brink of a fall that could be much worse than the spring."
Trudeau said Canadians can't do anything to change the numbers now, or even tomorrow.
"But what we can change is where we are in October, and into the winter," he said.
"It's all too likely we won't be gathering for Thanksgiving, but we still have a shot at Christmas."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2020
Note to readers: This is a corrected story; An earlier version said Ontario's total case numbers were more than 148,000 when that figure was actually national.
