Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday that in order to avoid even the appearance of voter suppression, he's immediately suspending the curtailing of retail hours at the post office, vowing to keep mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes in place ... and overtime for postal workers will continue to be approved as needed.

He also says no mail processing facilities will be closed.

Good for the country ... but there's a caveat. DeJoy said these measures will go into effect after the election, so ultimately it sounds like it'll be bad news for USPS employees ... it's just been delayed.

No word on whether the Post Office will bring back the blue collection boxes it has already removed across the country. Some blue collection boxes have also reportedly been locked in some cities, including Los Angeles.

DeJoy -- a longtime Trump ally with zero experience in the Post Office -- made the move just days before he's set to testify in front of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. That hearing, and a Congressional hearing next week, are being held following accusations DeJoy's intentionally hindering the USPS's ability to handle the expected mass volume of mail-in voting this year.