Maybe because back when polio and measles vaccinations came to be people were not as selfish and willfully ignorant as they are now and a mandate wasn't needed.
Per the CDC, there have been 15,790 breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalization or death, of which 3,040 died. Of those 3,040 deaths 2,631 (87%) were at least 65 years old. We are at 674kish deaths in the US since the start of COVID, that's some pretty strong indication that being vaccinated reduces risk. Obviously, the vaccine hasn't been around, or at significant levels since the beginning of the pandemic.
My problem with these kind of analogies is that they don't really fit. Yelling fire in a theater is a conscious act, you intend to yell it. You can't intentionally spread a virus, in the same manner that you can intentionally yell fire in a theater. Obviously a person can try to spread a virus, but that's no guarantee that it will spread.
Intentionally? How about recklessly?
Sure you can. But the problem is one person's level of acceptable risk is another person's level of recklessness. A free climber is perfectly happy being hundreds of feet above ground whereas someone who's afraid of heights might never climb past the first couple of rungs of a ladder.
Interesting that you deleted your post from earlier. I read thru it earlier but had to go out for a bike ride.
Bad analogy.
What's the reasonable person standard for Covid risks, and who set it?
Depends.
I do think it is reasonable for unvaccinated people to be in close quarters with others. People are free to get vaccinated, and take whatever other precautions they find reasonable when going out amongst others. The others out and about are just as free to take their own reasonable precautions. It's a two-way street.
Look up what a world pandemic means. I'm sure if there was a world pandemic going on with polo, flu and measles, etc the reaction across the whole world would be similar to what's going on now. Or do you think everyone would just ignore it all?
So someone has the right to cause risk to other people just because they didn't intentionally mean to? I'm sure the crazy drivers that weave in and out of traffic at 100 MPH never had any thoughts that they are purposely going to kill others on the road by their actions. So does that give them the right to do that? And to expand, it someone actually tried to purposely spread Covid or any other potentially deadly disease they would be charged with a crime.
I'll use the driver analogy again. Every maniac that drives 100 MPH weaving in and out of traffic thinks his actions have an "acceptable level of risk", or might think it's not risky at all. Would they do that if they thought the risk was too high or they could hurt or kill somebody doing it? But everyone else on the road he's effecting will think he's being risky and dangerous. So since he doesn't think he's causing any risk, does he have the right to do so? The answer is, why do you think there are laws against those actions?
I have not heard if vaccinated people at work will be made to wear masks or if it will be up to each person. Might be up to each company to decide.
The analogy doesn't really work unless these people are unknowingly driving 100mph, which is impossible. The only way your analogy works is if someone is out in public and knows they have COVID.