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Nicola Sturgeon has warned Scots that there is no guarantee lockdown won't return after clubbers packed out venues across the country from midnight to mark Freedom Day.  

Legal requirements for physical distancing - except in healthcare settings - have been removed from today and all venues, including nightclubs, are now able to reopen.  

However, the First Minister refused to guarantee that lockdowns won't return and also ruled that face masks will continue to be needed on public transport and shops for 'as long as necessary'.

She said: 'I think any politician, anywhere in the world, in the face of a pandemic of an infectious virus that sits here and says 'I can guarantee something' is not being sensible and actually it's not being frank with people. Every fibre of my being hopes that the restrictions we are lifting today in Scotland will never, ever have to be imposed, and am I optimistic about that? Yes.

'Can I guarantee it? Well, I could tell you that right now for the sake of an easier interview, but it wouldn't be the right thing to say because keeping this virus under control depends on all of us continuing to do all of the sensible things I've been talking about.' 

Ms Sturgeon also revealed that the SNP will be allowing government workers and civil servants to continue working from home as part of a new hybrid model. 

She said: 'Let's think about a more hybrid working model for the future. The Scottish government is doing that for our own employees and that may help us in months to come over the virus but there are also issues over work life balance and wellbeing.'

Her appearance on BBC Breakfast came as clubbers took advantage of Freedom Day as they packed out venues at the stroke of midnight.  

Joanna Traynor, Amy Evans and Robyn Spence arrives at Lulu's night club in Edinburgh, Scotland as it opens at 0:01

Legal requirements for physical distancing - except in healthcare settings - have been removed and all venues, including nightclubs, are now able to reopen

The First Minister told MSPs last week that the country could move beyond Level 0, the lowest level of a five-tier system of restrictions in Scotland, due to the 'steady decline in cases' and 'the success of vaccination'.

Under the new rules, double-vaccinated adults and all children will be able to avoid self-isolation if they are a close contact of someone with coronavirus so long as they are symptomless and provide a negative PCR test.

Pupils and teachers will have to continue wearing masks indoors for up to six weeks after schools return, the Government has said.

But whole classes in schools will no longer have to stay at home if an infection is discovered, although children and adults who are higher-risk close contacts will be told to isolate. 

Outdoors events of more than 5,000 people and indoor events of more than 2,000 will have to apply for permission from local authorities and the Government to go ahead.

When announcing the lifting of further restrictions, Nicola Sturgeon hailed Monday as 'perhaps the most significant date so far' in the pandemic.

She has since stated that Scotland is in a 'much better position' with Covid than could have been expected at the start of summer but urged Scots to 'continue to take sensible precautions' despite many of the legal coronavirus rules being lifted from Monday.

 SNP health minister Humza Yousaf was also quick to warn of the risks of a new variant triggering another lockdown ahead of the easing of restrictions.  

Mr Yousaf told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show: 'All it takes of course is a new variant to come from somewhere halfway across the world to make its way into Scotland.

'And depending on how effective our vaccine is against it, that could make a big, big difference in terms of restrictions.'

Health minister Mr Yousaf also added: 'I think we would expect cases to rise as people interact more, potentially in bigger numbers, but also when schools return as well.

'There's perhaps some sense of an artificial break when it's the summer holidays. So we would expect [a rise in cases] but of course we are continuing to vaccinate people which is the real positive.

'But that of course is why we're keeping some mitigations absolutely in place.

'Our modelling hopefully will be able to tell us that the pressure we're feeling in the NHS hopefully will remain in a place where we can cope with that, but of course that's why these measures continue to always be kept under review.'

Despite the warnings, Scotland's nightclubbers vowed to be 'out every night' as the easing of coronavirus restrictions allowed venues to reopen for the first time in more than a year.

In Glasgow, dancers took to the floor at the Boteco Do Brasil club.

Martin Stewart, 24, from the city, was among the crowd and said he was glad to be back.

'It's been a long wait – I'll be out till closing,' he said.

At the nearby Polo Lounge, an LGBTQ inclusive club, revellers chanted and screamed as the clock struck midnight and the doors re-opened.

Luke Dunsmuir, 19, from Strathbungo, said he was eager to get back.

'I've been nightclubbing since I was 15,' he said. 'Oot and aboot.'

He said with clubs closed he had missed meeting different people and networking with others.

He said he wasn't worried about Covid-19 as he was double-vaccinated.

'The only worry was older people, that was the only worry for me, but the younger generation the percentage of them getting Covid is so low,' he said.

He said his next few weeks would be 'busy busy'.

'Out every night, just you wait, you'll be seeing my face everywhere,' he added.

In the city's centre people queued round the block outside the Savoy nightclub.

Mark Grant, 19, and Johnny Matthews, 21, both from the Southside, were among those waiting to get back inside.

Mr Grant said he only had two months of clubbing when he turned 18 before the country locked down.

Under the new rules, double-vaccinated adults and all children will be able to avoid self-isolation if they are a close contact of someone with coronavirus so long as they are symptomless and provide a negative PCR test

SNP health minister Humza Yousaf was quick to warn of the risks of a new variant triggering another lockdown ahead of the easing of restrictions

'I spent most of my 18 inside so it's been good to get back out,' he said.

'It's a huge part of our teenage life – especially teens to early twenties – it's a huge part of it, and we've not had it. So we have a lot of time to make up for,' he said.

Mr Matthews said: 'I'm buzzing – I've got Monday off work, I put a holiday in'.

He said he was double vaccinated but would be taking precautions.

'We will be wearing the mask, but it should be all right,' he said.

He added: 'It's a good laugh, cheap drinks, so it's good to get back.'

Nightclubs were among the last venues to reopen in Scotland, long after bars were allowed to welcome back customers.

Following initial confusion last week, the Scottish Government clarified that masks would not have to be worn when dancing or drinking.