Police officers will be knocking on doors and stopping vehicles believed to be breaching coronavirus rules as the country falls into its third lockdown.
Assistant chief constable Steve Cooper from Nottinghamshire Police said no roadblocks will be set up to stop people leaving the county but if there are suspicions regarding those inside a vehicle they will be stopped.
He is also calling on the public to remember this lockdown is "fundamentally different" from the last two as "there is an end in sight."
He said any returning students or local residents who decide to hold gatherings, no matter how small, will be visited by police officers. Although, the majority of students will not return to the city immediately with just some courses continuing face-to-face teaching during the lockdown.
Fines from £200 to £10,000 will be handed out depending on the evidence, but the force hopes people will just abide by the rules.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a message to the public at 8pm on Monday, January 4, instructing them they must stay at home.
Schools have been closed, with children of key workers still allowed to attend, and people have been told the measures will be in place until at least mid-February.
Nottinghamshire, which had already been placed under tough Tier 4 restrictions, will now be subject to the same measures as the rest of the country until further notice.
In the first lockdown, officers fined three people who travelled hundreds of miles from Lincolnshire to Essex to buy a caravan.
One Nottingham man was caught 20 miles outside the city attempting to drive to Manchester to see his girlfriend.
Another man was stopped three times driving around the city with different people in his car and was subsequently fined.
ACC Cooper told Nottinghamshire Live: "The public have been largely fantastic during this pandemic.
"Should we see any blatant breaches of the rules and putting themselves and others at risk we will take action.
"This is not about enforcing for enforcing sake; it is to allow the NHS the space they need to do their job.
"Anyone during this time of heightened risk - if they have a party or gathering at home or anywhere else, they will be liable to a fixed penalty notice.
"They can range from £200 to £10,000 depending on the circumstances."
He said during New Year, the force handed out 130 tickets for those who breached the rules and held gatherings against the guidelines in the city.
These were for serious breaches, he added.
"We are still dealing with crime, disorder and public safety. It is business as usual.
"But Covid specifically, if we come across gatherings we will be knocking on people's doors.
"We won't be looking at road blocks but if we get information or we have some intelligence - if we see a car full of young or old people (not from the same household or in support bubbles) - then we might stop them if we keep seeing the same car."
He said at the moment only nine police officers and police staff are off with Covid, with only 2.5 percent of police officers off work with sickness.
He said the public should still continue to report crime to the force as nothing has changed.
"What is really different during this lockdown is there is an end in sight.
"We can see how the vaccine can be rolled out. Please do your bit over the next few months."
